. >> reporter: the gop nominee pledged to get tough by reversing looming defense cuts coming at the end of the year, threatening to impose possible new sanctions on iran and by looking for ways to arm the rebels in syria. romney also said he would pursue a two-state solution between the israelis and palestinians, a concept he seemed to diminish at a fund-raiser at was secretly recorded and leaked to mother jones magazine. >> i look at the palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of israel. i say, there's just no way. >> reporter: the obama campaign tried to get the jump on romney's speech, releasing a new ad, reminding voters of the republican candidate's gaffe-plagued foreign trip over the summer. romney, obama aides say, is no ronald reagan, more like chevy chase. combatting that image, romney met with a group of retired generals after a speech. the romney approach would be both more muscular and bipartisan. >> if you look at harry truman and john kennedy and the use of power by bill clinton in his second term, t